


Bill's Mother

by CampbellB1994



Series: Campbell Series [6]
Category: Masters of Sex, Takin' Over the Asylum
Genre: Closeted Character, Coming Out, Hiding sexuality, Homophobia, M/M, Mother-Son Relationship, Unexpected Vists
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:22:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27698249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CampbellB1994/pseuds/CampbellB1994
Summary: After Essie turns up as a surprise, Bill is forced to make some decisions.
Relationships: Campbell Bain/William Masters
Series: Campbell Series [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2182233
Comments: 16
Kudos: 8





	1. Mother?

“Good morning.” Campbell yawns, turning so that he could rest his face in Bill’s neck. “Morning bubba.” Bill whispers, kissing the boy’s forehead. “Sleep well?” Campbell nods, yawning as he closes his eyes again. “Why don’t we go back to sleep, it is a sunday.” Bill suggests, brushing his hand through the boy’s hair. He looks down at Campbell, breathing softly, falling asleep again already. “That’s a good boy.” Bill whispers, kissing Campbell’s forehead again before shuffling to lay down again so that he could get at least a few more moments of sleep in. He smiles as Campbell mutters something in his sleep along the lines of ‘I love you.’ Bill was only just drifting off again when there was a knock on the door. “No.” Campbell mutters as Bill slips out of bed to put his dressing gown on. “I’ll be back.” Bill tells the boy, stroking the sweaty hair out of his eyes. “Go back to sleep.” Bill hears the door go again so moves over to the door. “Hiya Billy.” Bill stands a little frozen when he opens the door to his mother. “Mother? What are you doing here?” She smiles, letting herself into the house. “Can’t a mother just check up on her son?” She asks, putting her bag down. “I guess I’ll make up a pot of coffee.” Bill says, worried about what to do about Campbell. Bill looks over to her when she sighs as she sits at the dining table. “What mother?” He asks, getting some mugs together. “The house is just so quiet. How do you manage?” She asks, looking over as she sees footprints. “Daddy come back?” Campbell is standing in the door frame with Sparky in his arms. “Oh. Who is this?” Essie turns back to her son. 

Essie looks at the boy who was sitting on Bill’s lap. “Go over it again.” She asks, Campbell seeming to be more clingy than usual. “I know.” He says to the boy who was making small noises. “Well you always said you wanted grandchildren.” Bill starts. “I went to visit him as a patient, he had gotten himself rather hurt after a manic episode. They told me about his… circumstances. See his mother died in childbirth and his father.” Bill sighs. “Well you know how they are with children who are different.” Campbell rests his head on Bill’s shoulder, looking over to the woman. “So you adopted him? Just like that?” She asks, putting her mug down to wave at the young boy. “I couldn’t just leave him? Asylums are more prisons than hospitals, mother.” Bill senses that Campbell was getting antsy. “Alright, sit down here. I’ll go get your meds.” Bill moves the boy onto the chair before getting up and moving to the cupboard. “What’s his uh… condition?” Essie asks, the boy looking down at Sparky. “He's a manic depressive. More manic than depressive but we get our bad days.” Bill explains smiling at Campbell. “But he looks so calm. I thought they were more disruptive, loony?” Essie points out, making Bill grip the counter. “Please don’t use those words around Campbell.” He tells her through gritted teeth. “Every case is different. The reason he is so calm right now is partly because he’s just woken up and partly because of Sparky.” Bill motions to the stuffed dragon in the boy’s arms. “Here you are.” Bill rests Campbell’s pills on the table. “Cocoa daddy?” Campbell asks, playing with his pills on the table. “Take those and then you can have one okay?” 

“How long do you plan on staying?” Bill looks to his mother, already feeling that she has outstayed her welcome by just turning up out of the blue anyway. “Don’t worry Billy, I have a hotel room. I was only planning to stay for my hospital check up but I think I might stay longer, get to know Campbell a little better.” She motions to Campbell who had his head stuck in his new book; around the world in 80 days. “That really isn’t necessary.” Bill points out. “What is this appointment for that you couldn’t just do back home?” He changes the subject. “Don’t you worry about me Billy. I’ve survived long enough without you doing so.” Campbell makes a noise of annoyance, closing up his book and chucking it. “Don’t do that!” Essie shouts looking to Campbell who was in a state of shock now. “Go pick it up.” She points to the book. Bill stood up quickly to move over to Campbell. “Mother stop!” He tells her off, cradling the scared boy in his arms. “You’re coddling him, he’ll keep misbehaving if you let him.” She points out, looking to how the books pages had been crumpled. “He isn’t misbehaving.” His mother tuts at him, picking up the book and smoothing it out. “He isn’t. Campbell feels every emotion amplified. If you want to get to know him better like you said you do, be patient or leave.” Bill tells her, moving his attention to Campbell who was whimpering quietly. “You’re okay. I’m sorry for the shouting.” He whispers, rubbing the boy’s back. “You’re my good boy aren’t you?” Bill asks, the boy nodding, hiding his face in the man’s shoulder. 


	2. Quickly

The next morning Bill was getting breakfast ready when he heard the front door go. “Morning Billy.” Bill sighs, looking over his shoulder. “Good morning mother. So I see you do plan on sticking around.” She nods, looking over to Campbell sitting at the table with his book. “I wanted to.” She pauses, Bill pouring some coffee. “I wanted to apologise. It wasn’t my place to step in.” Bill scoffs, disbelieving of what his mother was doing. “Never felt the need to apologise to me before.” Campbell looks up at the pair, Bill giving him a gentle smile making him look down at his book again. “Would you like some coffee?” Bill offers, trying to stay civil for Campbell. The phone rings acting as a welcome noise to break the silence. “Hello.” Bill answers, watching his mother pour herself a cup of coffee and sit opposite Campbell on the table, the boy flinching a little. “We’ve talked about this… no I know that this will be good but you know I can’t be too far from Campbell… Something might happen, what about the last time I left him for the day?” Bill looks to his mother and then to Campbell. “Could he sit with Betty for the… oh. I’ll get back to you.” Bill puts the phone down with a sigh. “I could look after him, can’t be that difficult.” Essie offers looking up to her son. “He has meds, needs food made for him. You can’t just let him sit in front of the tv all day.” Bill says. “Then write me a schedule.” She tells him, looking at Campbell. “No shouting, no punishment.” Bill tells her, grabbing a sheet of paper and pen. “Noted.” 

“Right come on you, let’s get you dressed.” Bill says, looking up to the clock. “Can I have a shower?” Campbell asks, as he picks up Sparky and follows Bill into the bathroom. “We haven’t got time for a shower. But.” Bill turns to lock the door. Campbell smiles, wrapping his arms around Bill. He looks up at the man, connecting their lips. “I missed this.” Bill wraps an arm around Campbell’s lower waist, pulling him up so that his legs were wrapped around the man’s waist. “Please.” Campbell whines, moving his lips to kiss Bill’s neck. “We can’t, come on let’s get you dressed.” Campbell frowns, moving his hips against Bill in hope to change the man’s mind. “No, no. Come on bud.” Bill helps Campbell down, sitting on the toilet seat. “This isn’t fair.” Campbell grumbles, crossing his arms. “It’ll only be a few more days.” Bill connects their lips again starting to unbutton Campbell’s pyjama shirt. “Bill.” Campbell whines, moving his hand to the waistband of the man’s slacks. “Campbell, no thank you.” Bill takes the boy’s hand, passing him a shirt to slip on. “Take your trousers off.” Bill tells him, looking at his watch. “Come on, hurry up.” Bill rushes looking to Campbell. “I will… if.” Campbell says, looking down to Bill’s crotch. “Campbell.” Bill sighs but unzips his slacks, pulling them down and his underwear. “Quickly but be quiet.” Bill tells him.

“Right, I’m off to work now. If you need anything you know the office number.” Bill says, straightening up his bowtie and tucking a bit of his shirt in. “Campbell’s sat on my bed reading his book.” Bill tells Essie who had seemed to wash up without being asked. “His lunch is in the fridge and I should be back to cook dinner.” Bill picks up his bag, and his coat jacket. He waved to Campbell who was half concentrating on his book. Essie puts a few of the dishes away before moving into the bedroom to see Campbell’s face stuck in a book. “What are you reading?” Campbell startles a little, putting the bookmark in and showing her the cover. “Oh that looks like a good one.” She sits down in a chair after moving it nearer to the bed. “I like it.” Campbell says, fingers toying with the pages. “I think it is so great that you like to read books, that you can read books.” Campbell nods, yawning as he moves the book onto the bedside table. “Do you sleep in this bed often?” Campbell shakes his head. “Only for nightmares.” He repeats the thing that Bill and him went over. “Well why don’t we get you to your room?” She offers but the boy shakes his head, making grabby hands for Sparky. “Oh do you want your dragon?” Campbell nods, head feeling dizzy. “Please.” He says, pulling the stuffed dragon into his chest when she passes it over. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to let you have a nap.” She looks to the boy who was already half asleep anyway. “Billy was telling me you have a very busy brain.” Campbell nods, nuzzling his nose into Sparky’s head. “But we shall get you out for a walk afterwards.” She smiles at Campbell who nods, curling himself up and wishing that Bill was here and that she was not.


	3. Leave Now!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Homophobia

“Take your shoes off, we don’t want mud on the carpet.” Essie tells Campbell, stopping him from running into the house. “Right, Billy says that you can have a cup of cocoa. Be a good boy and sit on the sofa.” Campbell jumps onto the sofa, grabbing the remote and turning on the tv. “Do you want to know something?” He asks, his head hanging over the arm of the sofa. “What is it?” Essie looks over from where she was boiling some milk. “Bill and I are in love.” She stops for a second before pouring the milk in the mug. “That’s very funny Campbell.” She tells him, mixing the cocoa powder into the milk. “But it’s not a joke. Me and Bill, we’re together. We sleep in the same bed.” She shakes her head. “Okay now, let’s stop messing around.” Campbell sighs, sitting back down on the sofa watching her bring the mug over. “It’s hot, so leave it for a bit.” She grabs the newspaper from the side and sits down in the chair in the corner. “Do you know this morning?” Campbell says, touching the mug but it was still hot. “I do.” The woman looks up from the newspaper. “Well when we were in the bathroom getting changed. Me and Bill kissed. Well we.” Campbell is about to continue when Essie interrupts him. “Campbell I am being serious!” She tells him in a stern tone. “I’m being serious too. Me and Bill have sex.” Campbell tells her, looking at the woman who puts down her newspaper. “Campbell stop lying!” She grabs the boy’s shoulder as the front door opens. “Mother!” Bill drops his bag, pulling the startled boy into a hug. “How dare you touch him!” Bill shouts, Campbell hiding behind the man and grabbing onto one of his arms. 

“Just stay in here okay, you’re alright.” Bill brushes Campbell’s hair out of his face before kissing his forehead. “If there’s shouting, Sparky will look after you.” Campbell nods, opening up his book. Bill takes a shaky breath before moving back into the main room. “Mother sits down at the table.” He says, picking up Campbell’s mug of cocoa to get it away from where it was balanced on the sofa. “I had reason to shout. He was making up lies, disgusting lies about the two of you.” She tells her son who flinched knowing why this whole thing had started. “First of all that is not a reason to shout. And second.” He pauses, curling his fingers around Campbell’s cocoa mug. “They are all true.” He says, a little shyly as if he was turning into his petrified child self again. "So what, you're just two men. Running around acting like you're in love when that just can't be. By God Bill you were married to a woman and you have kids what are they gonna think huh. That it's normal? That it's just okay for two men to sleep together?” Bill takes the hits, trying to hold his anger again, not wanting to startle Campbell. “It is normal. It’s been happening in the shadows for years.” She shakes her head starting to get some of her stuff together. “I always knew there was something wrong with you, as soon as you started that study. What is Campbell one of your experiments?” She scoffs. “This has nothing to do with my study.” Bill growls standing up, fist hitting the table. “I hope you know this means you don’t have a family anymore. That Campbell won’t have a family anymore. You’ve destroyed this poor boy’s life.” Bill takes a deep breath in trying to steady himself. “Leave my house.” He says, in a strong and steady tone. “I have a few more things I want to say to you Billy.” She says but he shakes his head. “You leave my house now!” He shouts looking to the front door. He watches her as she leaves. 

Bill is quick to move back into the bedroom, Campbell was laid on the bed with Sparky clutched tightly in his arms. “I’m not an experiment.” He whimpers, looking up at Bill. “Don’t listen to her okay. Come here.” Bill slips off his shoes and moves next to the boy on the bed, Campbell crawling into the man’s arms. “She isn't’ coming back right?” Campbell asks, wiping a tear out of his eyes. Bill shakes his head, stroking the boy’s hair. “She is not allowed to step foot in this house again. I promise.” Bill tells him, lifting the boy into his lap so that he was facing Bill. “I’m sorry for the shouting. For her cruel words.” Bill brushes a thumb over the boy’s cheek. “Some people are just… well they don’t want to accept us because we are different.” Campbell sighs. “But that isn’t fair.” He says, playing with Bill’s braces. “I know it isn’t but I think.” Bill starts, bringing the boy’s chin back up to look at him. “That one day it will be accepted. That no one will bat an eyelid at two men being together or two women.” Bill smiles at the thought watching Campbell carefully. “I think that would be better.” He says, resting his head against Bill’s chest. 


End file.
